When my sister Catherine saw the range of Montana dresses that I had made she asked if I would make one for her for her birthday. No problem, I had the pattern from Style Arc and once I had compared Catherine’s measurements with the size chart I decided to make a 14 and use 5/8th seam allowances.

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Catherine had expressed a liking for the Viscose fabric that I recently bought from Pinkdoor.ie and so I ordered another 3 metres of ‘Flowers don’t tell, they show’ but this time on the Black background (my dress print has a Navy background). Once the fabric arrived it was washed and sat for a couple of days whilst I finished the Polly dress #4.

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I originally planned to spend the last day of August making a Summer Swansong dress for myself. However, as I still had the overlocker threaded up with Black I changed the plan and made up the Montana for Catherine.

There are ties at the sides to help draw in at the Empire waistline. I added my usual concealed side seam pockets. The main skirt panels are gathered onto the waist seam but the frill was ruffled using the pleater set at 6 stitches and length 4.5. All seams are neatened with the overlocker.

I made a full lining for the bodice and used the ‘bagging out’ method. This was not my usual ‘burrito’ method on Montana dresses and I found it particularly awkward. I will revert to my usual method next time.

I am pleased with the way the dress has turned out and hope that Catherine will also be pleased- and that the dress fits OK!

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When we are finally able to visit one another it may be that we each wear our Montana dresses and so will look like twins!

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Project #51 completed 31st August 2020.

As I have been suffering from diverticulitis this week, sewing has mostly been completed in small sessions of time. I had planned to make this Shirtwaister much earlier in the Summer but now with Autumn fast approaching I want to get the dress completed and move onto something else!

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The fabric is a 100% cotton printed with ‘fruit’. I am not sure what fruit, but possibly Plums. I bought 4 metres from jjtextiles of Manchester for £21.48 much earlier in the year.

My ‘Polly’ design is the result of wanting something similar to the Penny dress by Sew Over It but with some adaptations. I wanted the yoke, the gathers into the yoke, sleeveless, fully functional button front to an elasticated waist plus 4 panel half-circle skirt with side seam pockets.

Once I had cut out ‘Polly’ there was still a good length remnant that I will probably use for a sleeveless shirt.

There were no complications with the construction – mostly sewn using French seams, including the concealed side seam pockets. The yoke was cut on the bias and the rounded collar and lapels were ‘borrowed’ from the Honeysuckle dress. Top stitching was done with standard Blue thread, stitch length 3.0.

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The buttons were from my stash. The double bias binding for the armholes was machined to the right side, flipped to the inside, understitched and then top-stitched in place. For the hem on the skirt, I first overlocked the raw edges before making a narrow double folded hem and top-stitching in place. The bodice/skirt waistline seam has a casing with ¼ inch elastic but most times I believe that I will wear the dress with a belt.

This dress will be an ideal trans-season option when worn with the Old Gold Jenna cropped cardigan that I made back in the Spring before lockdown!

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I am hoping to complete one more dress a ‘Summer Swansong’ before I progress to a commission make for my sister and more Autumnal, trans-season projects.

Project #50 completed 29^th August 2020

Very often I find a great pattern online, although many of the independent designers are now expanding their sizes, but am sometimes disappointed to see the designer has not drafted up to my size . I am fortunate that having drafted my own Basic bodice block from there I can often draft a new design that is similar to the one I have seen online.

The style lines for this dress are based on a Shoulder Princess seamed bodice. I had already drafted this style when I made the Frilled blouse – project #46 completed at the beginning of August.

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I shall call the dress ‘Honeysuckle’ as it was inspired by the Honeycomb dress by Cocowawa patterns. My version differs as I have added a small, rounded collar with lapels, there is no back yoke, no sleeves and the skirt is full gathered, midi length.

For the first ‘wearable toile’ I used 3m x 56ins wide of this pretty, silky viscose bought through eBay from jjtextiles, Manchester for a total price of £12.07. I cut all the pattern pieces before the skirt panels which are the full width of the fabric x 30 inches length.

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I cut the panels quite long as I wanted to wear this dress both in the Summer with bare legs and sandals then in colder seasons with tights and boots.

As I have previously tested out the Shoulder Princess seaming and collar/lapels combination on the cotton blouse, this dress was a reasonably quick sew.

The viscose fabric behaved very well. There were no problems with excessive fraying of seams which were all overlocked and the buttonholes stitched like a dream on my Brother 4000D machine. I used 5 Burgundy-coloured buttons from my stash and the armholes were bound with a self binding.

The binding was cut 1¾ inches wide, folded in half with wrong sides together and the cut edges basted together. The binding was stitched Right sides together around the armholes before flipping inside and top-stitching in place.

There are my usual concealed side seam pockets and the hem of the skirt was overlocked before a double-folded narrow hem was also machined in place.

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I am pleased with how the dress has turned out although due to the ‘busyness’ of the print it is difficult to see the detail of the ties at the waistline. I think that I will be making this style again but perhaps in a less busy print or even a plain colour.

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After a brief browse through my wardrobe I found several cardigans and jackets that will co-ordinate. When the weather is very cold I could even wear the dress over a thin polo neck sweater, with thick tights and boots.

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Project #49 completed 25^th August 2020

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As we near the end of August it is time to start thinking of trans-season dressmaking. Along with my stash of fabrics (just sooo many!) I have bought some new lengths that I think will be perfect for the next couple of months. Dresses that can be worn alone or with a cardigan or jacket, tights and even boots as the weather dictates.

This beautiful viscose fabric was bought from a ‘new to me’ seller, https://www.pinkdoor.ie/collections/viscose-fabrics-1/products/copy-of-in-the-garden-viscose?variant=32530890260580. The Navy background is currently sold out but I have also purchased some of the same print on a Black background which is to be a dress for my sister Catherine’s birthday.

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You may well recognise that I have used my TNT pattern, the Montana from Style Arc. This time I have lined only the bodice but have added deep pockets, hem frill and self tie belt.

As I was in a hurry to get the dress done so that I could move onto a new self-drafted pattern, I opted to use my overlocker for finishing the seam allowances rather than French seams which have, of late, been my preferred method when using viscose fabrics.

The deep hem frill has again been pleated using my ruffler foot. Settings were pleat every 6 stitches at a stitch length of 4.5 which has produced a great frill suitable for ‘twirling’!

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Below some variations to wear with cardigans and jackets ‘plucked’ from my wardrobe!

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Project #48 completed 19th August 2020

I really enjoy this dress style from Style Arc patterns and version #5 is a repeat of #3 and #4 with the single deep frill at the hem and full lining.

The fabric used has a Cream background with Purple flowers and paisley print on 100% viscose. I bought on 29^th June 2020 from jjtextiles of Manchester for a total of £12.07 for the 3 metres x 142 cms wide.

Once it arrived the fabric was laundered and during one of the hottest days of the year I started to cut out the dress.

I had cut the main pattern pieces for the skirt, front and back bodice and self-fabric bodice front lining before I set fabric and pattern pieces to one side as it was just too hot to continue.

I would return when it was cooler and cut the self-fabric back bodice lining, ties and pocket bags.

However, I had forgotten that I needed to cut the back bodice from a long strip of fabric and then stitch a centre back seam. Unfortunately I had already used that piece of fabric for the ties and pocket bags before I realised! By now I did not have sufficient to cut the back bodice lining in the printed viscose. What to do? I spent some time considering how to proceed before cutting the back bodice in the cream viscose voile that I have been using for lining my other Montana dresses, plus a back neck ‘facing’ piece and bias strips in the printed viscose. I applied the back neck facing piece and bias strips to the neckline and armholes. In this way on completion the fact that the back bodice was made in a different fabric would not be too obvious.

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All this ‘finessing’ has added considerably to the time taken to make the dress.

Having recovered from the ‘faux pas’ I proceeded in the usual way by stitching the darts in the bodice and lining before joining at the shoulder seams. With right sides together I stitched the necklines together using a 5/8ths seam allowance as I wanted the neckline to be a shade wider and deeper than the pattern (usually a ¼ inch seam allowance for this seam) dictates.

I under-stitched all the seam allowances before trimming, turning right side out and giving a good press. I am very pleased with the neckline. Next was to ‘Burrito’ the cap sleeve hems. I love this method. It is quick and simple providing a very good finish whilst avoiding a bias binding finish. Next was to stitch the ties which were basted into the side seams of the outer bodice.

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Now that I had the neckline and sleeves sewn, I stitched the side seams of both the outer and lining in one pass taking care not to catch the free end of the ties into the seam. I overlocked these seams as they would be wrong sides together.

The pocket bags were attached and the side seams of the main skirt panels were completed with French seams. Likewise the seams for the deep hem frill. I kept the frill as a long length and gathered using my ruffler foot to gauge the length required to match the width of the main skirt panels. I used the 1-in-6 pleating ratio with a stitch length of 4.5. The frill was attached and the final seam made using a French seam. The hem on the frill was overlocked before turning in and top stitching in place.

Now I worked on the lining for the skirt. I used two widths of the Viscose voile and stitched with French seams. The hem was turned up as a double fold and machined in place before attaching to the waistline of the bodice lining. Rather than gather, this time I made some small pleats which seems to have worked well.

For the top of the main panel I made the gathering using two rows of long machine stitches before attaching to the outer bodice. The seams for the lining skirt to bodice and main skirt to outer bodice were overlocked.

The dress was now complete and when I put onto the mannequin ready for photography I realised that the colours went very well with my recently purchased from J D Williams, Western-style jacket in Baked Pink denim.

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Completed project #47 15th August 2020